The Dream That Consumed Me
by BrightPinkSapphire
Summary: When Lux starts having strange dreams about Eric after graduation, Cate takes her on a road trip to clear her mind. Little does Lux know, love unfolds in strange places.
1. The Dream That Started It All

**A/N: This story takes place one week after Lux's high school graduation. The Final episode of Life Unexpected never happened but every other episode has. Cate and Ryan have pushed their differences aside and stay together. Tasha and Jones are together, Baze isn't dating anyone at this point of the story. Lux isn't dating anyone either. Maybe somewhere in the story they will both find someone. Who knows? Anyways, this is my first FanFiction so please bear with me, as time goes by my writing will get better... I hope. **

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><p>"<em>Wait Eric, don't go!" Lux cried as she saw her boyfriend walk out the door. <em>

"_No Lux, it's better if he leaves." Cate said firmly to Lux before anyone could say anything. Lux flipped around to face Cate but before she could say anything she collapsed to the floor and started sobbing with an all ready tear stained face._

Cate woke up to realize it was only a dream. Well this time it was a dream. Two years ago it was almost identical to what happened when Baze and her tried getting rid of Eric, Lux's boyfriend, and teacher at the time. Thankful it was over she got out of bed, careful not to wake Ryan, and left her room to pour herself a glass of water. She went into the kitchen by the sink and turned on the tap which spilled warm water into a clean glass that had been conveniently sitting in the sink. After she drank most of the water she went to sit down on her living room couch to think about what she had just dreamt about. _I've never had a dream about_ _Eric before. __It's been two years since Baze and I got Eric to leave, why have I just had a dream with him in it? Why do I feel so guilty, I did nothing wrong…_ Before Cate could finish her thoughts she heard the attic door open and down came Lux. Cate wasn't quite sure why Lux was up at 4:30 in the morning but if Cate had her way she would figure it out one way or another.

Lux walked over to the refrigerator and took a peek inside before grabbing a leftover slice of pizza that had been sitting there for days.

"Eww…" Lux said while gripping the old slice of pizza by its mouldy corner outstretched in front of her. Lux had no desire in eating mouldy pizza so it was tossed in the trash where it would stay until it decomposed and rotted away.

Though the pizza wasn't the reason Lux came down from her cozy little attic. Lux left her attic bedroom because she couldn't sleep. This was not a big surprise at all. Ever since she graduated high school, which was about a week ago, she's been having recurring nightmares. It's always the same thing; she's watching Eric leave for the last time, Cate says painful words, and Lux begins to cry. After the crying she wakes up with tears in her eyes. She can't get back to sleep after that and then goes and finds something to eat or drink. What she doesn't understand is why she keeps dreaming it. She thought she was over Eric… or Mr. Daniels… or at least that is what she kept telling herself. Lux knew Eric and her couldn't be together when he was her English teacher. They both knew it but they couldn't deny they had feelings for each other, they couldn't just leave each others lives, they just couldn't. They loved each other and even now, when they were so far away from each other, they would always have that bond, that connection, that spark that brings true love together again.

Once Lux decided there was nothing to eat she let herself be absorbed by her thoughts and wandered into the living room, but before her mind could process correctly she sat on the couch not realizing Cate was right next to her.

"Something on your mind?" Cate asked Lux unaware that she was drifting from thought to thought in her head. Seeing as Lux rarely had cogitations Cate tapped Lux's shoulder and repeated her question.

"Lux, is something on your mind?"

Lux jumped a little at the touch of Cate then looked up puzzled. "Yea, but nothing too important," She lied "Why are you up all ready? Isn't it your day off?"

"Couldn't sleep. I had a dream, about you and…" Cate paused wondering if she should tell Lux it was about Lux, Eric and herself. Debating for a split second she decided she wouldn't.

"And?" Lux pressed.

"You and me." Cate quickly stated realizing too late that Lux could probably see through her lie. Lux just chuckled quietly to herself noticing how they both appeared in each others dreams on the same exact night. Cate looked confused not being able to grasp what was so funny, so Lux decided to let her in on the joke.

"I just find it funny because you were in _my_ dream, and I was in _yours_."

"Oh," Now Cate understood. "What happened in your dream?" Cate questioned Lux with a goofy smile. Lux didn't smile; instead she sat there with no expression. Lux wasn't sure if Cate would want to know that she had a dream with Eric in it. So Lux, playing it safe, only told her the half truth.

"Well," Lux began "I was in a room with you and you got mad at me then I started to cry… a lot." She finished swiftly. Cate was in shock, it almost seemed Lux and herself shared the exact same dream, well asides from the part where Eric was in it. At least that's what Cate thought.

"That's so strange, I had almost the exact same thing happen in my dream." This time Lux was the one astonished. Lux just hoped Eric did NOT make a guest appearance in Cate's dream too, but judging by Cate's reaction she assumed he did not. Both of them thought it was odd to have similar dreams, but until later they wouldn't know why. It was too early for Cate to have any desire in deciphering their dreams so instead she asked Lux something else.

"Oh Lux." Cate began with a sigh. "It's still early and I'm tired, but I'm probably not going to be able to get anymore sleep. Want to go get some food or coffee downtown?" Cate asked trying to get out of the house and stop thinking about Eric. Cate didn't hate Eric like she use to anymore, she now understood why Lux liked him, how they met before he was her teacher, and all the other things Lux was willing to tell her, but then again Cate didn't always hate Eric. Back when Eric was Lux's teacher, Cate actually liked him, well she liked Mr. Daniels the English teacher not Eric the 23 year old boyfriend of her 16 year old daughter Lux. Now that Eric was out of their lives she just wanted to spend quality time with her only daughter.

"Sure. It beats sitting around here all day."

With Lux's response Cate stood up with a smile and walked to the front door with a listless Lux following behind.

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><p>Ten minutes after ordering two cups of coffee, and two carrot muffins Cate and Lux picked a comfortable place to sit and talk. It being almost 5 in the morning there was only one other person in the cafe so Cate and Lux were pretty much free to sit anywhere they wanted. After Cate took a sip of coffee and Lux took a bite of her muffin, Lux decided there was something she needed to ask.<p>

"Cate," Lux began not quite sure how to phrase it "Have you ever had a dream… about someone you use to know… but you thought you forgot about them because you haven't seen them in a really long time?" Lux kept pausing part way through her sentence because she was worried Cate would get all motherly on her. Knowing Cate and how she wanted to aspire to be the perfect mother it wouldn't be a surprise if she did. Cate took a moment to take in the question, and after she was convinced she knew what she wanted to say, she said it.

"Yes." As simple as it was an answer, the meaning behind it was about as simple as operating a space shuttle without experience.

"Who was it about?" Lux asked quietly hoping it would be about a person she knew, like Baze or someone random, so she could take her mind off Eric. At least for awhile.

"Well, I have had it happen more than once, but with different people. I actually had a dream like that last night. That's why I woke up so early, because it was so…" Cate held back her words not sure if Lux would be able to handle what she was about to say. She didn't want Lux to get upset and leave if she said Eric's name, but she also thought Lux had done a lot of growing up since he left, so why couldn't she handle it? Before she could continue Lux interrupted almost knowing exactly what she was thinking.

"Cate, you can tell me. I won't get upset or think of you differently…" Lux encouraged Cate to go on. She really wanted to hear this. Hesitantly Cate spoke, and the answer Lux would receive was about the complete opposite of what she wanted to hear.

"Eric." Lux's heart stopped. She was stunned, but not because Cate had actually dreamt about Eric, but because Cate had dreamt about Eric the exact same time she had. She thought it was just some strange coincidence.

Cate had seen Lux's face turn from happy to surprised and knew it was the wrong thing to say. "Lux, I'm sorry. I knew you wouldn't want to…"

"No, Cate. That's not it." Lux interrupted annoyed. First Lux didn't know what to say. There was just so much bouncing around in her head that the only thing she wanted to do was escape. When Eric first left all she wanted to do was cry, get mad at Cate and Baze, and speak to Eric. After awhile the tears went away and her thoughts neutralized. Every Eric thought she had was pushed to the very back of her mind where it wouldn't bother her. Time goes by and people move forward, find new lives and eventually new people to love and hold close to their heart. That's what she wanted to do and that's what she hoped Eric wanted to do, because if you really love someone you want what is best for them. That's what she wanted, right?

"The past is the past_." _Lux started. "I'm over Eric and I'm sure he's over me." She kept speaking not really thinking. "I bet the whole dream synch thing was a coincidence." She was on a roll, one step closer to forgetting her dream until she said. "Besides you and Baze basically shoved him right out of my life." There it was. Lux didn't mean to say it but her thoughts were just coming out her mouth. She didn't want to hurt Cate anymore, she was over Eric. She was over Eric, she had to be.

"Lux." Cate said trying to make Lux stop talking. "Calm down, everything is fine. I know you're over Eric and I know the dream was a coincidence. What I know the most is taking Eric out of your life was for the better." Cate was saying this all very slowly trying to relax Lux. The only problem was; did Cate say the truth, or was it only the truth from Cate's perspective? The answer was pretty clear to both Cate and Lux. Only Cate thought what had been said was the truth, the petite blonde beside her heard everything as a lie but was not about to start a fight at 5 in the morning with Cate on her dumb decisions. Lux did give Cate a sour look though. Cate seeing this ended up saying something really unexpected.

"Do you want to go on… like on a mini vacation? Just to get away from here, and spend some time together just you and me before the end of summer?" Lux's jaw fell, and it stayed that way for a couple seconds until she rubbed her eyes and said,

"Did I fall asleep? You can't be serious." Lux said laughing but after she saw how Cate's face was smiling a big smile she knew, she wasn't kidding.

"Just for a week or so, you can decide where, it's up to you. I just want my only daughter to be happy." Cate said reassuring the fact that she wasn't kidding. Lux was overwhelmed, but knew she had to go, she was tired of thinking about Eric, dreaming about Eric and talking about Eric, especially with Cate being in all three combinations. Cate knew it had been an abrupt change of topic but Lux seemed stressed even if she hadn't seen Eric in such a long time. It was a pleasant surprise when Lux responded positively.

"Yes Cate. Of course. It would be perfect." Lux said with a grin. Cate was pleased and so was Lux. It would finally be a bonding experience that would benefit them this time. They tried planning trips together in the recent year but somehow their plans always fell through. This time it would be different, both Lux and Cate were going to make sure of it.

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><p>It had been a week since Lux's chat with Cate in the cafe about their 'mini vacation' and they were almost ready to start packing. Lux had decided on a road trip to Vancouver, British Columbia. Cate didn't know why Lux would decide to go there but since she did say Lux could choose anywhere, she would not complain. Lux even stopped having those recurring nightmares ever since she spoke to Cate. Maybe motherly help worked for her… Maybe.<p>

It was 8 AM and Lux was tired. She was up until 3 in the morning going over things for the trip. She wanted to stay under those covers for the rest of the day but someone was knocking on the attic's swing down ladder door.

_A familiar voice could be heard coming through the wood but it was really soft and muffled so Lux got up off her bed to go see who it was. She had a pretty good idea that it was Cate checking to make sure she was ready for the big 'packing' day. Then again it could be Ryan freaking out because Cate would not stop talking about the road trip to Canada. When Lux opened the ladder door it was neither Cate nor Ryan._

"_Lux." A silhouette of a man appeared saying her name. "I've missed you." The voice was familiar to Lux, almost like she knew the person, but she couldn't see them. Her vision was blurred and she didn't know why, but she was scared. She was running through all the possible people she knew who were male in her mind and decided that the only voices she was familiar with were; Baze, Ryan, Bug, Gavin, Jones, Math and Eric. She was afraid of her current options, but perhaps if she was lucky it wouldn't be someone she knew but rather someone in her future._

_The man walked up the creaking stairs to face Lux. She was slowly losing her senses, the blur of vision she once had was now black. Her smell and taste had all but vanished. Her hearing and touch were all that were left. Lux stumbled backwards to try and stay away from the intruder, but they came closer with every step Lux took back. Fortunately for Lux his footsteps were loud, almost deafening so she could hear his approaching footsteps. Unfortunately for Lux there was only so much foot space until she fell against her bed and landed with a soft _thud.

"_Go away!" Lux cried in panic. "I can't," but Lux was cut off by the man when he raised her off her bed and brought her close to his warm body in an embrace. Lux didn't pull away it felt too right, too natural. It felt as normal as breathing. After she let her body relax into this familiar stranger she could feel her smell coming back. He smelt of body soap and after shave, and Lux loved it. She couldn't describe how she was feeling with words, so she raised her hand slowly but the man took it in his own larger hand and brought it to his face. She felt his ears, nose, mouth and hair and he brought her even closer but was careful to make sure he was gentle._

"_Who are you?" Was all Lux managed to say before he touched her face with his warm hand and silenced her to a whisper. "Why did you come here?" He wouldn't speak but Lux felt complete, and at total peace with herself and she knew why. This strange man was making her feel in a way she never felt before and it was all she ever wanted. Without a second thought the man brought his face close to Lux's and Lux brought hers closer to his until their mouths met with the gentlest of touches. Slowly but without hesitation their kiss began to deepen and Lux could feel the passion between them. She could feel something deep down inside her that she hadn't felt in years. When she let herself relax during the kiss she noticed she could taste again, and what she tasted was magnificent. It was sweet and minty as if she had just eaten a candy cane, but at the same time a strange indescribable flavour she now ached for, which made it the best kiss she ever had._

_The man removed his mouth from hers but only until she opened her eyes to notice she had her vision back. The man in front of her was none other than Eric. He didn't look any different than when he had left a couple years back. Lux wasn't surprised when she had discovered who the man was; she expected it to be Eric after she felt his face and kissed his lips._

"_Eric…" Lux gently spoke his name "You can't be here; Cate and Baze will call the police." Eric only smiled and said_

"_I'm not really here." With that he started to kiss a baffled Lux and she didn't want him to stop. _

_They were just about to get comfortable on Lux's bed when Lux faintly heard her name being called by another familiar voice. She didn't want Eric to disappear, not again. She had no choice because the more the voice called her the more all of her senses faded into nothing. _

By the time her name had been called ten times she could no longer see, hear, touch, taste or smell Eric. Instead she saw the familiar face of Cate, heard the familiar voice of Cate, felt the familiar touch of her bed, and the familiar smell of pancakes.

"Cate?" Lux whispered "Where's…" Lux being half awake and mostly drowsy wasn't thinking too hard, but she wasn't dumb enough to actually say Eric's name. With all the talk about Eric lately she knew Cate would get a little… temperamental. Cate could tell Lux was kind of 'out of it' so she was trying to be as careful with her words as to not disturb her this early in the morning.

"Where's who?" Cate began to say "Only Ryan and I are here." Lux was losing it.

She thought that the dream had been real. She thought Eric would take her and consume her mind so she would feel pure bliss. All she wanted right now was to leave with Cate on their 'mini vacation' so she could forget him for good. The thing she really wanted, was to want him, but if she could only have him in her dreams then she didn't want to have him. It was just too painful to wake up and find him gone, she wouldn't know if he would ever come back. The real pain, the pain she was feeling now, was from having to go through losing Eric a second time. She could barely handle the first time he left; now she was having difficulty handling this. She needed to leave, and she had to do it now.

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><p><strong>AN: I know there wasn't much progress but I plan on getting a little deeper into the story in the next couple chapters. This chapter was pretty much just a way to get a grasp on what's going on with Lux's emotions. I picked Vancouver as their 'mini vacation' mostly because that is where most of the TV show was actually filmed. I have also been to Vancouver so I have an idea on the places they can visit. Thanks for reading this far and reviews would be much appreciated. I hope you come back for more.**

**~BrightPinkSapphire**


	2. The Road Trip

**A/N: The first thing I have to say is thank you for reading so far. I really appreciate the people who reviewed, favourited and alerted this story. I'm also sorry it took longer than expected to upload chapter 2, but I'm sure you'd be glad to read chapter three is almost complete. ****Anyways, this chapter is mostly a filler, but it's not completely pointless. Yay! I have plenty more to say but I'll leave it at...**

**I do not own Life Unexpected or any of the characters, I am merely a fan who likes writing about them. I do however own the story written below and the story idea.**

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><p>"Are you sure you don't need anything?" Baze asked Lux, patting her hat lightly before she went into Cate's car to go on her 'mini vacation' to Vancouver. Baze, Ryan and Tasha weren't allowed to go. This made Cate happy because she wanted to spend alone time with Lux. Lux on the other hand had mixed feelings towards the trip. She would miss everyone. She would miss Baze, because they shared a very special bond, Tasha because they had been best friends forever and Ryan because over time he became like a second father to her.<p>

"I'm sure." Lux said with a hint of annoyance in her voice. "I'm not a little kid anymore."

"I've noticed. You've grown so much kiddo… Are you sure you don't want me to come along?" Baze offered, feeling hurt how he wasn't allowed to spend time with Lux, his only daughter, before she left in the fall.

Lux was planning on doing a little sightseeing around Europe in the beginning of October. Lux hadn't seen many places in her life and she decided it was about time to try it. She intended on going to many different places before eventually applying to get into a university. Part of the reason she chose Vancouver for her 'mini vacation' with Cate was so she could see some interesting new places not so far from Portland, but far enough so she didn't have to _be_ in Portland. Also it didn't hurt that Vancouver had an amazing China Town.

"I'm sure." Lux repeated while giving Baze a good bye hug. "I'll be fine, and so will you. I'll only be gone a week."

"Okay, but keep in touch."

"Okay," Lux said slightly irritated and impatient. "How about when I get back we go on a mini vacation of our own. Will that make you happy?" She crossed her arms as if to say 'hurry up'.

"Perfect. I'll have everything planned by the time you get back." Baze said with elation and an eye-to-eye wide smile. Lux just laughed and gave him another hug. Baze tried to hold her there for as long as he could because he was going to miss her terribly. The most he had missed anyone and she hadn't even left yet. Baze was showing more emotion than wit and it was not like him at all. He couldn't wait for his trip with Lux so he could show her he was still the same old goof and not the emotional sap he was being at the moment.

After several seconds Lux squirmed out of the hug and jumped into the passenger seat of Cate's car.

Cate was saying her goodbyes to Ryan, but after three minutes, much of what was being exchanged between the couple was not in the way of words, Lux called Cate to hurry up. With a final goodbye to Ryan and Baze, Cate walked over to the driver's seat of her car and sat inside.

"Took you long enough." Lux laughed gesturing to the invisible watch on her wrist. Cate laughed and turned on the engine.

"I know, I know. Don't hold it against me. It's not like you didn't have a long enough goodbye with Baze." Cate pointed out. Lux trying to act as if she didn't know what Cate was going on about decided to change the subject, so they could get out of here faster.

"All right! Let's get this show on the road." Lux exclaimed leaning back in her seat with her arms folded behind her head. Cate just laughed at her daughter while pulling the car out of its parking space.

With a final wave from Ryan and Baze, Cate left the street and kept driving until she met a major highway. It was 6 AM on Sunday and if everything went well they would arrive at their hotel in Vancouver at around 4 PM. They weren't sure how traffic would be so anywhere around that time would be decent. They would also put in a couple stop points just so they could stretch their legs and have a bite to eat.

Until their arrival they would have to make do with what they had by talking, listen to the radio and whatever other things two people could do on a road trip.

"When did you say goodbye to Tasha?" Cate asked 5 minutes into the trip. Lux had just settled into her seat listening to music and bopping her head to one of her favourite songs. Lux being in a good mood decided to answer Cate halfway through the song.

"Yesterday night." Lux replied with a pleasant smile plastered on her face. Tasha had decided on a traditional movie night with popcorn and all. Tasha was in charge of renting a cheesy friendship movie, and Lux was in charge of bringing the popcorn. For just over two hours the girls laughed and made fun of every little thing the actors said and did. She didn't think she would enjoy it as much as she did but it was the most fun she had since her graduation party, but even that doesn't quite compare to laughing your guts out with your best friend.

"Good." Cate smiled readjusting her hands on the steering wheel. "So, when do you want to stop for some food?"

"When you stop for gas?" Lux offered not sure when she would like to eat this morning.

"That'll take awhile. I filled the car up yesterday so we wouldn't need to stop as much today."

"Oh, you planned ahead this time?" Lux joked. The 'mini vacations' they had planned before didn't just fall apart because of lousy planning, they fell apart because Cate forgot to check if everything was in good condition before they left. Cate normally doesn't forget to plan, but because she was excited and stressed out, everything that she had to remember was lost. This time Cate had prepared. This 'mini vacation' kicked off with no obvious problems and to Lux that was a sign saying 'this vacation is going to be a good one'.

"Yes, and I'm glad I did because I want to spend as little time as possible fixing problems and as much time as possible with you." Cate took her eyes off the road for a split second to glance over at Lux who was just lounging back in her seat still smiling. Cate wasn't going to make the same mistake again by looking over at Lux for more than a second. The last time she was in her car with Lux and took her eyes off the road she went straight through an intersection and nearly crashed.

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><p>It was around 10 o' clock in the morning when Lux and Cate arrived in Seattle, Washington. After about four hours stuffed in a car you get sore from not stretching and tired from not sleeping. Well, Lux had tried to sleep but Cate, refusing to be the only one awake, wouldn't let her. Lux didn't mind too much, because the last thing she wanted on her trip was another random dream forcing her to restore lost feelings.<p>

After about 2 minutes driving through the city they knew they needed to stop for a short break or they wouldn't be able to move their muscles without pain. So Cate had decided on pulling into a supermarket parking lot.

"What are we doing here?" Lux asked once her curiosity got the better of her. She stretched out her arms and yawned. She couldn't wait for a good nights rest; it had been weeks since her last sufficient sleep.

"Getting some food, and stretching." Cate answered turning off the vehicle and opening her door. Lux opened up her door too, then they both got out and took a couple seconds to stretch before closing their doors. Cate locked the car doors and called Lux over to her side. Together they began their walk to the front doors of the supermarket. The walk may have taken only 10 seconds in reality but to an extremely tired and sluggish Lux it was more like 30. Time just felt slower, which was fine because Lux wanted to make this 'mini vacation' last as long as possible, even if the reason 'why' might not stay the same.

Twelve minutes of browsing only left them with: a box of crackers, two turkey sandwiches, and two plums. Chances are they wouldn't eat everything at once but it was still nice to have a snack to fill their stomachs on the rest of the drive to the hotel.

"I can't believe this is all we could find that didn't look gross or old." Cate vented to Lux after they had paid for their groceries and were heading back to her car. Lux was just dawdling behind not really paying much attention to anything, but the sound her footsteps made every time they hit the pavement.

"I mean you think a store in Seattle would carry quality stuff…" Cate went on not even realizing Lux was no longer beside her, or even close. Lux was walking over to a little tree beside the store that was for sale. It really caught her attention but she didn't know why. It was just an ordinary tree with green leaves and a regular brown trunk… If you could even call this little tree having a trunk, it was more like a brown coloured stem.

She held one of the leaves near the top of the tree in her palm; it was smooth just like a tree leaf should be. Then she felt a small prick puncture the flesh of her hand. Removing her hand quickly to avoid further pain she took a look at the wounded skin. To Lux's surprise and delight there was no wound to actually be found, just a little pain. What could have done this? Lux was eager to find out.

She let her hand find its way back to the leaf that she once held and turned it to reveal its paler green underside. There it was, the culprit that had caused Lux pain. A barely noticeable red ant. As small as it may have been it wouldn't hold back its bite.

"What are you doing in a tree?" Lux asked the little ant knowing she wouldn't get a response. The ant just scurried off the leaf and down the 'trunk' of the tree. There were holes, everywhere. Every leaf was destroyed, and she knew it wasn't the red ants doing. There had been other insects that were gnawing and chewing the new tree as if it were a dog's chew toy. Honestly, she didn't know how long the leaves would last. For some strange reason Lux wanted the tree. Part of her felt sorry for it and part of her felt a connection with it; it was broken in many places and would need time with a new companion to start to heal. That is how Lux felt when she had to stay in shared custody with Cate and Baze, at first she was broken from years of torment but all she needed was new people and a new place to begin feeling more cared for.

Lux left the little tree to walk back over to Cate who was still talking to herself. "Cate?" Lux said accidentally startling Cate in the process. Cate turned around to face Lux and gave her a small grin.

"Yes, Lux?"

"Do you think we could buy that little tree over there?" Lux asked pointing to the little tree which she had just came from.

"Why?" Cate asked feeling confused.

"It's just really interesting." Lux stated with a smile so Cate wouldn't need to know the whole truth behind her answer.

"Right." Cate said not believing her. "How about when we finish our mini vacation and start heading back to Portland we come back and buy it?"

"Sure." Lux knew nobody else would buy the little tree; it was too unsightly for many people. Cate didn't actually get a good look at the tree but if she did she would've thought the same as Lux.

"Anyways, let's get going." Cate insisted. Lux said nothing; instead she opened the door to the passenger side of the car, got in and sat down. Cate did the same, only on the driver's side, and then they were finally leaving the barren parking lot.

A few minutes later Cate had parked along the side of the road where a large park was located. It was at least 1,500 metres squared. It had a huge green field near the front, a small playground made of wood for younger children to play on, an average sized garden filled with colourful flowers of all shapee and sizes and small bushes. There was also a small pond near the garden which was filled with ducks and water plants. Four benches and four taller trees were placed on all sides of the pond. There was also a lush forest near the back with coniferous and deciduous trees which you could smell as soon as you stepped foot in the park.

"What are we doing here?" Lux asked bewildered; her eyes darting from trees to flowers.

"I thought we could take a short break from driving and eat some of the food we bought from the store." Cate answered smiling while picking up the plums and sandwiches.

"Oh." Lux smiled in return and practically jumped out of the car with anticipation.

"Wow. I didn't know you were so easily excitable." Cate laughed, also getting out of the car.

"I'm not usually but I just got tired of sitting around with too much on my mind."

Cate met up with Lux on the other side of the car and they walked side by side to one of the benches located by the pond. Lux took a plum from Cate and sat down to begin eating it. Cate took the sandwiches in her hands and put them beside Lux. With one bite Cate began to eat her own plum and instead of taking a seat beside Lux she took a little stroll over to the garden.

A little walk was much enjoyed by Cate. She had her plum in one hand and her other hand to her side. At one point during her stroll she wanted to bend down to smell the flowers but there were many bees flying around and she didn't want to get in their way. Step after step she saw pretty flower after pretty flower and busy bee after busy bee. Not only were the bees out today, a not so friendly wasp also wanted something to eat. Unfortunately for Cate she was holding a wasps dream; a mouth watering juicy plum.

The wasp flew down and landed on the fruity delight, frightening Cate, who then dropped the plum to its demise. Disappointed was Cate for she had lost her first attempted meal of the day. Even though it was only a plum and she only took a few bites, it was enough for her to realize it would be better if she left it for the wasps' enjoyment.

With hunger as the second thing on Cate's mind and scenery as her first, before she decided to walk back over to Lux, to get her turkey sandwich, she continued on her stroll through the garden.

Lux on the other hand had successfully finished eating her plum and noticed that the need to sleep was certain. It wasn't her choice, but instead of trying to fight her fatigue she let herself go. Falling into her dream was more calming than expected; she was relaxed and enjoying the tranquility this new environment was giving her. Once she fell asleep the beauty of the park stayed with her behind closed eyes.

_Lux opened her eyes and looked around; nobody was here, not Cate, no cheerful children and no dog owners who let their hyper active dogs off the leash and explore. It was beautiful. The pond was sparkling, the trees were green and leafy, birds were chirping and the humming of happy bees landing from one flower to another was all Lux needed. She let out a deep sigh of content. The only thing that could possible make this better was a certain someone to share it with. _

_As if on cue Eric slowly stepped out from behind a tree planted a metre away from the very bench Lux was sitting on._

"_I missed you." Eric said with a smile while walking over to Lux. He looked down at Lux's face with a smile that couldn't be matched by anyone. Lux adored his smile and gave him one of her signature smiles that was accompanied by her voice._

"_I missed you too. I never thought I would get to see you again, but here you are, standing right in front of me." She said softly, reaching for his hand. Eric took it in his own hand and pulled her off the bench and into his arms. Holding him tightly and breathing in his scent Lux placed her head upon his chest. _

_Eric lifted her head up and cupped her chin with his hands facing her eye to eye. "I will always come back to you, Lux." He said before closing in on her face and kissing her deeply. Lux could taste the familiar flavour of candy cane again and something else… but what? She wanted to know._

_Lux broke the kiss and pulled away from his body to sit back on the bench. He looked at her trying to think what she was up to. She kept hold of his hand and tried pulling him down with her on the bench but he wouldn't move. Instead with one quick motion he pulled her back up and placed her in front of him with her back towards himself, he then wrapped his arms around her waist. Lux, not usually the one to give in, let him hold her this way for about a minute before breaking loose and turning around to face him. She took him in another long passion filled kiss that made her feel like nothing was wrong and enjoyed the mix of flavours once again._

_After an intense minute of passionate kissing between the pair, Lux finally pulled her mouth and body away to get some much needed air, while using the opportunity to ask a little question._

"_What's that flavour?"_

"_What flavour?" Was Eric's response. _

"_The one in your mouth." Lux stated._

"_Oh," Eric began to laugh and pulled Lux closer into a big bear hug. Lux would never get tired of him doing that, it gave her warm tingly feelings all over the place and nearly made her forget what she was asking._

"_It's my little secret." He eventually answered then placed a light kiss on her forehead. As peaceful as Lux was at that moment she wasn't going to take that as an answer. She wanted to know why he tasted so luscious and she wanted to know now._

"_Not good enough." Was all Lux managed to say before pulling out of his hug and running awkwardly in the opposite direction. Seeing this made Eric laugh again and decided for a fun change to chase her around. She went behind a tree, around a bush, through flower beds and over a rock; wherever she went Eric followed. She barely avoided his every hand pulling attempt, but she couldn't help but laugh along with him as his contagious laugh met her ears._

_After five minutes of running around like little kids Lux stopped by the bench that was by the pond and sat down out of breath. Eric was having no trouble keeping up with Lux and within two seconds he was sitting beside her on the bench._

_Lux was still not pleased with his answer but she wouldn't let that get in the way of their time together. She wanted to be here with him and she knew he wanted the same, so she cuddled up to his side and put her arms around him to give him a hug. Eric enjoying her kind gesture, wrapped his own arms around her, and kissed her forehead as she lay against his chest. _

"_I love you." Lux said into Eric's chest calmly._

"_I love you too, Lux." Eric said in return. The couple sat there locked in each others arms, where only the sound of their breathing was heard._

_They stayed that way for a good five minutes until without warning and without a choice Lux could hear her name being said. _

It was repeated over nine times, until the tenth time she heard it and her image of Eric was replaced by Cate and a turkey sandwich.

"No!" Lux wailed getting up from the bench. He was gone. Again! The only time she got to spend with Eric, and she had to be asleep.

"Lux?" Cate asked trying not to raise her voice because she knew Lux had been asleep. Lux stopped a moment to face Cate who was trying to seem as calm as possible in front of her daughter. "What happened?"

Lux thought about Cate's question and her dream, the stupid dream she wanted to hate but couldn't for her own desire, the stupid dream she wanted to sleep her way back into, and the stupid dream that would keep consuming her until she found a way to forget Eric.

"Nothing. Just a stupid dream." Lux said with the slightest hint of annoyance in her tone. Cate just frowned starting to realize that people were beginning to stare at the two of them.

"Maybe we should just go." Cate said.

"Yea, maybe we should." Lux agreed getting up and leaving Cate by herself on the bench with the turkey sandwiches. Although Cate never questioned as to why Lux had been so quick to decide, she did question Lux's mood. It seemed lately she would be perfectly fine and then without a warning she would get upset or angry. With only several more hours until they would reach the hotel Cate had plenty of time to observe Lux's twisted emotions.

* * *

><p>After they had left the park they did a little shopping which Cate enjoyed more than Lux at the time. Accessories, clothes, and souvenirs what more could a Cate ask for? Lux wouldn't participate in the excitement of shopping because knowing Cate they would just end up shopping on the way back home to Portland. Lux knew herself well enough to know this mini vacation would relax her, or at least soothe her mind. She would get relaxed and find a way to join in on the excitement of shopping while driving back home.<p>

No matter what happened Lux all ready knew how their mini vacation would unfold. She would arrive with Cate at the hotel, have some fun touring, forget all her problems along the way, and then eventually when they arrived back home, her problems would have resurfaced making the whole trip meaningless. This all sounded characteristic to the situation Lux was in, but there was one more specific trait left out of the equation; an unexpected turn in events.

What wasn't unexpected was the radio, which had been playing practically every second the car was on. The music for Lux was to drain her mind of forbidden thoughts, while Cate used it as an excuse to quietly hum to every song and contemplate Lux.

* * *

><p>Three hours later and they had finally arrived at their destination in Vancouver. It was around 4 in the afternoon, so Cate and Lux had managed to stay on schedule.<p>

They had to cross the border which wasn't too difficult and the traffic was actually pretty decent. It was safe to say it was a pretty easy drive aside from the boredom of the actual driving.

Parked outside of the hotel they would be staying at, Cate and Lux got out of the car and brought out the luggage from the trunk, which held all their clothing and other necessities, and brought them towards the check in desk inside the hotel. They also took some food they had picked up after they left Seattle and the shopping bags which held many objects Cate had bought.

After they checked in, they used the elevator to haul up all four bags of luggage and the shopping bags to the third floor; the floor they would be staying on. They were still smiling all the way up the elevator because there was a hot tub on the bottom floor; which they were both sure to use. It was just another thing to add to the relaxation tally.

Finally after a short walk down the hallway they found their room and opened the door with the key card they were assigned.

"Wow. Looks comforting." Lux said as soon as she opened the door to their hotel suite.

"Yea." Cate agreed dreamily.

As soon as the door opened they were welcomed by the scent of fresh bed sheets and two large beds pressed against the left wall. The room was 6 metres squared not including the bathroom. It had light yellow triangle design wallpaper and hardwood floors. There was a small powder blue sofa on the far wall with a wooden coffee table covered by a small white sheet by the window. The window was located in just the right spot so the sunlight would pour in early in the morning. White thin curtains covered the window for what appeared to be only for decoration. It didn't matter too much because the room was gorgeous.

"I want the bed by the window!" Lux screamed playfully dropping her luggage and running over to the bed closest to the window. She jumped and landed softly on the fluffy, squishy bed.

"If you're sure." Cate said laughing at her playfulness.

"I am." Lux said and grabbed one of the large pillows located at the head of the bed and held it in a tight squeeze.

"Good." Cate said dragging both her own luggage and the luggage the happy blonde had dropped once they entered the room.

Lux knew now that she would be able to relax and enjoy this mini vacation. She believed a warm snugly bed would help cease any more of those 'dreams' from showing up; but if a bed couldn't solve her problems she also would rely on the hot tub on the bottom floor of the hotel and the many places she would soon visit around the city.

The city she knew would change her life; even if she didn't know how much. If all that changed was her relationship with Cate she would be fine. She really just wanted some peace of mind, but that would never be an easy task, especially for a troubled Lux. Hope was all she could depend on in her situation; maybe everything would be just fine.

Then again…

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><p><strong>AN: I hope you enjoyed reading the chapter as much as I had writing it. I'm sorry if anyone seems out of character but I'm really trying my best. I don't really like the ending so I apologize if you disliked it. The next chapter will start to take the story in a new (and better) direction. I thank you again for reviewing, alerting and adding to your favourites. I just hope the story is living up to your expectations. **

**~BrightPinkSapphire**


	3. The Orange Rabbit and The Red Ox Mother

**Author Notes- Welcome to chapter 3! ^^ I'm so happy I finally finished chapter 3 and have the chance to upload it to FanFiction! I have more to say at the end... if you would ever so kindly stick with me until then. **

**I do not own "Life Unexpected" … **

* * *

><p>There was a massive festival happening in China town that day (it was a weeklong event) and Lux had planned on going to it with Cate. It was going to be really fun. Instead of standing on the sidelines watching the entertainment you actually got to be a part of it. You could wear a mask, a fancy outfit or a decorative costume. Unfortunately, apart from the masks, everything had to be bought from any of the various Chinese themed shops; the masks were handed out. Many masks were oval shaped and covered the entire face. They varied in colour ranging from a deep red to a bright yellow. Fake feathers were placed along the outside edges. For such an extravagant looking mask, you would never believe they only cost 10 cents to make. All of the Chinese zodiac animals were represented.<p>

The festival started at 11 AM; however, to get a good mask or some unique festival food they could leave any time before then. It was just 9 AM when Lux and Cate had finished their breakfast of waffles and fruit. They were in no hurry to leave. Lux was just sitting on their hotel rooms sofa drinking a glass of water, while Cate was in the bathroom putting on makeup.

"You know you shouldn't wear makeup to a festival where you are just going to cover your face." Lux advised. Cate pretended not to hear Lux, and just continued on with her makeup routine.

"You're only gonna look older, and not in a good way." Lux hummed. Cate still pretending not to hear her, closed the door so Lux couldn't see her finish her look. Lux still not giving up decided on a new technique.

"You know, if Ryan were here he would think you're trying to hook up with another guy. I mean what other reason do you have to put makeup on? Asides from the OLD factor."

"Lux!" Cate hissed storming out of the bathroom with half of her hair up in a bun. The other half was sticking out in weird directions.

"What? I'm only kidding. Besides do you honestly think Ryan would think that?" Lux pointed out after finishing her glass of water. Cate stood there in silence debating on whether to laugh or to be upset. When she looked over at Lux, who was just sitting there with an expectant smile, all she could do was laugh. Cate looked funny laughing hysterically with messy hair, and Lux wasn't able to hold in her laughter, so she let it out. For a couple of minutes all they could do was laugh, until Cate's cell phone rang. After a moment, Cate rushed over to her cell phone and picked it up to answer it.

"Hello?" Cate said into the phone. Lux, not wanting to wait for Cate, used the opportunity to go to the bathroom and brush her teeth. While brushing her teeth Lux could hear Cate talking, but paid no attention to what she was actually saying. After she had finished brushing she left the bathroom just in time to hear Cate say "goodbye" to whomever was on the opposite side of the phone.

"Who was it?" Lux inquired.

"It was just Ryan checking to see if we had all ready woken up."

"Oh, why? Did you tell him that we were going to the Chinese festival this morning?" Lux asked while checking to see if her cell phone had received any messages other than the regular ones from Baze, Tasha and Ryan. The three of them had decided to text Lux at least one message per day while she was in Vancouver with Cate. So it was no surprise that other than Baze's, Tasha's, and Ryan's texts, there were no other messages on her phone.

"Yes I did. I mentioned you really wanted to go to the festival today, and asked if he could phone before nine thirty. Just in case the hotel forgot to send a wake-up call." Cate answered while walking back over to the bathroom to finish styling the rest of her hair into two buns. Lux nodded to herself and sat back down on the sofa deciding on what she should wear that day. She had only brought ten outfits (not including her pyjamas, shoes, or hats), so she decided on a pair of faded green jean shorts, and a long loose white tank top that was layered over a shorter tighter black tank top. Instead of her regular scrunch hats she opted for a white headband scarf. All of which was to accommodate with the weather. The bright and sunny 28 degrees Celsius heat.

"What's with the hair?" Asked Lux once Cate had walked out with two neat buns placed on either side of her head. Because Cate rarely styled her hair in such a dramatic way, Lux had been muffling laughter when she saw her.

"What? Is it too much?" Cate questioned Lux, feeling self conscious all of a sudden and checking around her head for imperfections.

"No, no. It looks great. I just never thought you would get so fancy just for a festival." Lux replied with a small grin.

"I know, but I wanted it to look special for you. It's our first festival together, Lux. So what are you going to do with that wild mane of yours?" Cate asked pointing to the giant mess of hair cascading over Lux's shoulders. Lux laughed and took some of her hair in her hand and examined it. Her hair was especially messy this morning and she wanted nothing more than to just tie it into a ponytail, but because Cate was putting in effort to make it a good day, she decided to get all 'dolled' up for Cate.

"Wash it, brush it, and put a headband scarf in it." Lux said honestly. Cate smiled approvingly and signalled Lux to get up and go take a shower. Once Lux was good and ready (which didn't take more than 4 seconds) she got up and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

* * *

><p>It was 10:15 AM when both Lux and Cate were good to go. Since they were ready, they left the hotel to walk to the festival. The festival was only 20 minutes away by foot, so there was no reason to drive. Considering that the festival brings in hundreds of people a year from around the world, the mother and daughter were lucky to find a hotel within walking distance to it. Even though they weren't having the best time battling the heat; it was better than bringing a car and not having a parking space.<p>

Once they arrived at the street which was holding the massive Chinese festival; both women were greeted by a friendly pair of elderly Chinese men handing out masks. Lux and Cate had both given them a friendly smile and in return accepted the mask they were granted. An orange rabbit mask was placed awkwardly in Lux's hands but she put it on without a second thought. Cate on the other hand, had a red ox mask severely lacking in feathers upon her own face.

"Ah, an orange rabbit mask. How rare. I see luck in your future." An old man said while seeing Lux's mask. Lux didn't really pay him much attention because she was genuinely excited being at the festival and experiencing what she was experiencing. To have an even better experience, Lux and Cate continued to walk down the path to join the hundreds of other people in masks.

A smile grew on Lux's face when she saw how ridiculous they looked in a costume shops window. She couldn't even recognize herself. Cate was less than pleased with her mask, but put on a brave face under it to tell herself she was doing this for Lux.

"We look so funny." Lux laughed doing a silly little dance and turning around in circles admiring her reflection in the window. Laughing quietly to herself, Cate started walking away and motioned for Lux to follow.

The streets were decorated from top to bottom with red, orange and yellow. Paper lanterns, streamers, balloons, and signs were as abundant as the colours. The Chinese zodiac animals were being portrayed by people in suits and were walking around the crowds waving and offering candies to young children. Wafting into everybody's nose and causing many to become hungry, was the smell of noodles and cooked meat. Luckily, for most people, the food was all outdoors being offered to anyone who wanted some, but not without a price. Many things were being sold and all of the shops were using this opportunity to sell off cheap souvenirs or other useless trinkets. The festival was not cheap, if you were planning on buying anything, but it was definitely worth checking out.

Lux and Cate were just wandering around attempting to get to the middle of the crowd so they could get a good spot during the walk. "The Great Vancouver Festival Walk", was the walk Cate and Lux were about to partake in. Not only was it "great", it was actually the entertainment you got to participate in. Yes, the entertainment was just a long walk. Everyone would be handed a festival paper lantern and carry it high in the air; just so they could be guided on a kilometre long walk. It may not seem like much, but even during the middle of the day, a walk was a pretty spectacular sight to see considering how many people were attending it. Hundreds.

Giant metal carts were being pushed around, filled to the brink with paper lanterns. The people handing them out were friendly and considerate to the people participating in the walk. After almost everyone received a lantern they started to leave the centre of the giant crowd, but not before it passed by Cate. The excited mother grabbed the last lantern from the metal cart that was being pushed towards her and her daughter. Lux was the odd one out. The only one she could see without a lantern. Cate had offered her own lantern to Lux because it was Lux's idea to come here, but Lux just shooed her hand away. As selfish as it sounded Lux wanted her own lantern; she wanted to be a part of something without ruining it for anybody else. Of course she wasn't happy about not having a lantern, but she wouldn't pity herself for too long.

"Don't worry Lux. Not everyone is going to get a lantern. I mean look at how many people showed up." Cate told Lux gesturing to the many people walking around them. It was unbelievable as to how many people were there. Even though Cate was trying to be sympathetic it only managed to agitate Lux.

"Typical." Lux murmured to herself. "Right when I believe things will happen. They don't." Soon after Lux had finished her little rant to no one in particular, she noticed a man walking towards her with two lanterns. He was only a couple feet away from Lux, holding the lantern out in front of him so she could take it easily. Lux wasn't use to hand outs and didn't think it was for her. Then again she _was_ the only one without a lantern that she knew about.

"I missed you." The man with the extra lantern said to Lux. The blonde girl with the orange rabbit mask turned around involuntarily to see who he was talking to. Everyone behind her had a paper lantern. Apparently he was talking to her because when she turned back to face him, he picked up her hand and put the lantern in it.

"You, I missed you." He said letting the lantern go in her hand gently. "We just ran out, but I remembered how you looked so I thought it would just be easier to hand deliver it to you." He said shifting the position of his yellow tiger mask. This made it easier to hear him, without the muffling sound the masks made when you spoke. She just nodded holding the lantern in her left hand. Lux was too stunned to speak. She never expected a kind gesture from a complete stranger; even if he worked for the festival. After he saw that she had the lantern he walked back the way he came.

"Who was that?" Cate asked walking a little closer to Lux, but avoiding the dozens of people who could push her every which way if she wasn't careful.

"I don't know," Lux said without the slightest clue of who it was. The voice did sound familiar though "one of the people handing out extra lanterns?"

Cate nodded, accepting her daughter's answer.

Lifting the paper lantern slowly in the air, just like everybody else, Lux was ready to begin the festival's long walk.

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><p><strong>Author Notes – Thank you if you have read this far. Everything I wrote was fiction. I know Vancouver is a real place, but the events that take place in my story were just created in my mind. I have considered dropping this story many times, only because I didn't know how to finish it. -.- If you enjoy reading my story, I can assure you I won't drop it because I told myself I could never do something like that. I guess mostly because the majority of the stories I read on FanFiction are discontinued at some point in time. :( Sorry if I ramble, I don't mean to. I'm just grateful people want to read my story, but I'm sorry if my updates seem sporadic. ANYWAYS! If you have any suggestions, or comments, please do leave a review or even PM me. I love reading your thoughts on my story.<strong>

**~BrightPinkSapphire**


	4. Good Luck

**I hope you enjoy. Please read and review. :)**

**~Sapphire**

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><p>Thud… Thud… Thud… Lux's feet were moving slowly and heavily, as if she were wearing giant metal boots. She had just finished the long walk in the boiling sun and now she was walking around with Cate to find a place to eat. One problem the two women had was that every food booth or restaurant was over crowded, so they were stuck with two choices: walk until they found an area not so full, or go back to the hotel.<p>

"Cate?" Lux asked trying to stop thinking about her sore, tired body.

"Hmm?" Cate hummed, putting her attention on Lux.

"It's not that I don't like the sun… or exercise… or exercising in the sun… but this is sad." Lux sighed weakly.

"What's sad?" Cate asked in all seriousness.

"That anyone would find the walk we just did entertaining." Lux groaned lifting her chin into the air and closing her eyes.

"Oh Lux." Cate chuckled at her daughter's words. "Aren't you even the least bit happy you tried it? I mean something like the walk is unlike so many things. Unique in ways I don't even know where to begin."

"Wow, Cate." Lux stretched out her arms in front of her. "Just wow." Lux said laughing, and relaxing her arms to her side.

Lux and Cate continued walking and searching, but still no luck. Neither Cate, nor Lux, had very much information on what the festival would be like. They didn't expect for it to bring in such a crowd, or for there to be no place to eat in peace, and they certainly weren't expecting this.

"Are you two ladies going to check out the garden?" An old man asked walking over to Cate and Lux.

"Uh… what garden?" Cate asked in return.

"The one made especially for this festival." He answered pointing to a mysterious entrance beside him. "Not many people find the gardens entrance because it blends in with the decorations, but for those who do happen to stumble across it find good luck."

"So what happens to the luck of people who only happen to stumble across it because someone like you points it out?" Lux asked doubting the old man's words.

"How do you know you weren't meant to find it anyway?" The old man asked, laughing and walking away.

"That was weird." Lux said slowly once the old man was out of ear shot.

Cate laughed quietly then said, "I agree, but I don't see any harm going in to check out the garden anyway." Cate finished then walked over to the entrance of the garden. Lux was about to protest but Cate had all ready opened it and was halfway inside. Cate was so enthusiastic about the whole thing, Lux wasn't sure if it was just an act or real excitement. Either way, Lux found it best if she just followed Cate in.

The garden was almost like a jungle. Even though you couldn't really tell, it was in a large building with a sun roof. Plants were everywhere you looked, and the many paths were made of real grass. The plants were real also. Everything was so lush, and green as if it was outdoors in the spring. You could feel the moisture in the air, and the fresh air in your lungs. It felt like a fairytale land.

"Wow." Lux said looking around nearly speechless.

"I know. Isn't it marvellous?" Cate asked sighing deeply.

"Yea, it is. It really is, but I'm gonna go walk around by myself. I want to see if what the old man said is true." Lux explained.

"Ok. I'll just be walking around." Cate said smiling and patting Lux on the shoulder before walking away. Lux walked to the right where large hedges were placed in the form of a large maze. It was hard to see over them so it was difficult to see if anyone else was there. It was kind of weird hardly seeing anyone though, especially after just seeing so many people outside.

All though the maze was rather simple many people found enjoyment from it, including Lux. Not knowing where you would end up tricked you into believing it would be something wonderful. Perhaps a large fountain decorated with a carved elephant in the centre or even the luck old men were telling people could be found in this garden. To Lux's dismay not only was there no fountain with an elephant, there didn't appear to be any noticeable sign of luck.

Located in the centre of a small hedge circle was a pond. Not a very interesting pond, it was a small odd shaped puddle with no form of life to be seen. Instead of finding something wonderful, she found that. As disappointed as Lux may be, nothing had ceased her from walking to the middle of the hedge circle to examine the odd pool of water.

The girl in the orange rabbit mask knelt down to view the water closer. It was dark and murky, possibly stirred up from loose dirt at the bottom. Much to Lux's surprise though something jumped out of the water. Instinctively Lux backed away from the water to avoid whatever was there, only to find that taking more than one step back she had bumped into an obstacle; an obstacle that was not there one minute ago. Also by instinct Lux lunged forward to avoid this barrier and nearly fell over into the pond of water. Before she could even have the misfortune of falling into the water, a large hand took a firm hold on her arm and held her steady. Everything was moving so fast and unpredictably that Lux was beginning to get scared.

Turning in place to see whom the mysterious hand belonged to, Lux was welcomed by a strangely familiar mask ─ a yellow tiger mask.

"Are you all right?" Yellow tiger mask man asked letting go of Lux once he saw she regained her balance.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks for stopping me from landing in pond scum." Lux said appreciating his help.

"You're welcome. I work here so it's part of my job to help people who can't help themselves." Yellow tiger mask man informed.

"Right. You're that guy who gave me the paper lantern earlier." Lux said remembering "You are him… right?" Lux asked laughing nervously.

"Yea, that was me." Yellow tiger mask man said also laughing. "Did you enjoy the walk?"

"Uh…" Lux paused wondering if she should lie. Chances are she would never see this person ever again, so why not tell the truth? They do work here, maybe they can tell someone to make it better. "Not really. It was kind of boring, to be honest."

"That's too bad. Most people I know find it fun, but then again there are the occasional odd ones out. Like yourself." Yellow tiger mask man said.

"Yea… So, has anyone ever thought of making it better?" Lux offered.

"How? The day starts with a walk, and ends with fireworks. Paper lanterns aren't cheap, especially over a thousand of them, and fireworks are expensive." Yellow tiger mask man informed.

"There are fireworks?" Lux asked getting all excited, and smiling under her mask.

"Yes, tonight. I guess you'll be there?" Yellow tiger mask man asked amused by the orange rabbit mask girls excitement.

"I want to be. What time do the fireworks start?" Lux asked.

"Around ten. Just expect to see them when it gets dark."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." Yellow tiger mask man paused as if he had nothing left to say. Opening his mouth slowly he finally spoke, "I better go. I just know there are more people around looking for some help." Yellow tiger mask man said then turned around to leave the pond and the hedge circle.

Lux was excited. She had found out there was more to the festival than just a long walk. Now all she wanted was to share her knowledge with Cate, so they could see the fireworks that night. Walking out of the hedge circle herself, Lux began her quest to find Cate.

Leaving the hedge maze was simple, because of the lack of optional paths, but it looked different somehow. Lux was just glad once she had exited the maze Cate's head was identifiable. It only took her a minute to walk around flowers and trees to find Cate.

"Cate." Lux said smiling happily after seeing Cate perk up noticing Lux's presence.

"Hey. Did you find the luck that man was talking about?" Cate asked noting Lux's smile.

"Uh, I think so. I bumped into a guy who works here who told me there are going to be fireworks tonight." Lux informed.

"Oh! That is luck." Cate said.

"Yea, maybe I'll press my luck and see if I can go find an open food booth." Lux said right before her stomach grumbled.

"You go, I'll be here. If you can bring me something to eat too. I'm starving." Cate said.

"Sure." Lux said. Giving Cate one last smile before heading to the garden's entrance. Viewing the many different flowers before leaving the garden to get some food, Lux realized she had spent so much time at the pond that she never got to look at the rest of the garden. Once she came back with food she would have to look around.

There were still hundreds of people on the street but not nearly as many as when the walk began. Many people were inside shops buying crazy items to bring home to show their families. Lux did not intend to buy anything from one of the many shops today- if ever. She wanted to have fun. Besides, looking around for the _perfect_ gift for Baze, Tasha and Ryan didn't seem like fun. At least not here.

Thankfully Lux spotted an outside food booth, one without many people. She walked closer but stopped short when she saw a massive food pile located near the food booth. Nearly a metre tall and a metre wide. It was filled with mainly rotting vegetables, but a few pieces of bread and fruit could be spotted. It smelled vile, which was most likely the reason why people weren't near this particular food booth. As horrid smelling as it was, Lux chose it because there was no line.

"What exactly do you sell here?" Lux asked the young woman behind the food booth. The young woman looked up with a large smile on her face, and sparkling green eyes. She had blonde hair just like Lux, only it was longer and tied into a braid that hung over her shoulder.

"Egg rolls, salads, and ice tea." Said the young woman behind the booth pointing to each item. "It may not seem like much, but if you haven't tried them, then you are missing out."

_Really? _Lux thought sceptically _They look pretty ordinary to me but I don't really want to wait in a crowded line so… _"I'll buy four eggrolls, two salads, and two ice teas. Oh, and can you please put it in a bag." The woman behind the booth nodded.

"Someone's awfully hungry today." A chuckling voice said behind Lux.

"Funny." Stated Lux sarcastically while simultaneously reaching into her pocket for her wallet. Once she had found it she handed the young lady at the booth the money and waited for her to bag it.

"Please enjoy it." The young woman said joyfully to Lux.

"I will defiantly try." Lux said as she was turning around.

"Miss me?" The once chuckling voice asked Lux as soon as she saw their mask.

"Not really." Lux said laughing, barely surprised at the yellow tiger masked man. "I'm more curious… Are you following me?"

"No!" Yellow tiger mask man said laughing with her.

"Ok. I'll believe you this time, but if you show up randomly later today, I'm going to be a little freaked out." Lux admitted.

"Don't worry. It would freak me out too." Yellow tiger mask man said still laughing. Lux smiled under her mask and began to laugh too while walking backwards away from him. She was having such a good time just bantering with this person that she didn't notice herself slipping or yellow tiger mask man yelling "Watch out!".

SPLAT! Lux fell into the large pile of food beside the booth with a small yelp; she had taken one too many steps backwards. Luckily it wasn't face first, but it was disgusting all the same. She tried lifting her body out of the globs of food but she kept sinking deeper as if she were in sinking sand. Yellow tiger mask man rushed over to try and help her out.

"Let me help you." He offered extending his arm in front of her. Lux grabbed a hold of it and he hoisted her out of the vile pile of food.

"Thanks… again." Lux said while removing pieces of food from her body. This was not how she had planned her day. Not getting a paper lantern for the walk, almost falling into a pond, and falling into the worst pile of food she had ever seen was not planned at all. She was beginning to think that everyone telling her about getting "good luck" was a lie. Everyone was a liar. Maybe she was just jumping to conclusions and maybe everything was just a coincidence, but she didn't know. All she knew was what it felt like to be embarrassed; so many people were staring and laughing.

"Don't mention it. I work here remember? It's my job to-"

"Help anyone who can't help themselves. Yea, I heard." Lux interrupted still removing pieces from herself.

"All right. Want me to help you find a place to get cleaned up?" Yellow tiger mask man said.

"No, I'll be fine. I'm just going to get as much as I can off here, so I can go back to my hotel to change." Lux informed. She began to pick at her hair; it was full of nasty things. Her mask was restricting her access so she took it off and hung it on her arm. Once she removed as many pieces as she could find she looked up and saw that yellow tiger mask man was just standing still. No movement, no sound, just stillness. Lux was worried something was wrong.

"You okay?" Lux asked hesitantly, but with her full attention on him. After ten seconds she touched his arm to see if she could snap him out of it. "You okay?" She asked again.

"Lux?" Yellow tiger mask man asked as if wanting to guess her name correctly.

"How do you know my name?" Lux asked backing away to the side slowly, carefully avoiding the large pile of food. The last thing she wanted right now was to accidently fall into the pile of food and make an even bigger fool of herself.

"Never mind. Forget I said anything. I should go." Yellow tiger mask man abruptly finished his sentence and was about to make a hasty exit when Lux grabbed his arm to try and stop him.

"Wait!" Lux called. The man continued to move forward with a small Lux in comparison to the taller, stronger man. This wasn't working. Instead she let go of his arm and ran to the front of him, "What's wrong?" Lux asked stopping him in his tracks.

"I just think I should leave." Yellow tiger mask man answered hesitantly.

"Why? Don't want to be seen with a person who keeps making a fool of herself?" Lux asked starting to get upset.

"No. That's not it." Yellow tiger mask man said starting to get upset too.

"Then what is it? One second you're helping me, the next you're saying my name like you know me, and now you're running away like I did something wrong." Lux said raising her voice.

"No! That's not it at all."

"Tell me!" Lux demanded staring straight into his eyes. He stared straight back but responded with a simple "No.". Lux stopped everything she was doing and just stood there defeated. She was acting like a jerk.

"I'm sorry." Lux said holding her head in shame.

"I'm sorry too. I didn't want to tell you because I'm... As soon as you find out who I am, everything is going to get complicated."

"Why? Unless your…" Lux wondered and decided to try something else. She brought her hand close to his mask; only a centimetres away. Yellow tiger mask man pulled away slightly, but Lux didn't see any sign of running. She held the edge of his mask and much to her surprise he didn't move but rather submit. Unsure now as to why this yellow tiger masked man made this such a big deal she slowly pulled off his mask.

Lux gasped and nearly fell again at the face under the yellow tiger mask.

"Eric?"


	5. Reality Check

**Two chapters within 24 hours of each other. :P I hope you enjoy. **

**~Sapphire**

* * *

><p>"Is it really you? Am I sleeping?" Lux asked looking around herself in shock.<p>

"I'm really Eric, Lux." Eric began "I should go before anything happens."

"Eric," Lux said confused. "I don't…" Lux was having the hardest time saying anything at all. "You don't… please don't." Lux felt like she hit a wall and was crumbling to pieces.

"Do you even remember how Baze and Cate reacted? I won't put you through that again." Eric said. Lux's eyes were shining and appeared to be near a break down. The pain he was trying to avoid from her gaze had hit him, down in his gut. He knew trying to forget her would only work until he actually saw her again. Once he saw her, Lux wouldn't be the woman he had once loved; she would be the woman he had always loved. That's exactly what happened. He still loved Lux and the feeling in his gut made him realize he always would.

"Wait, Eric! Not yet, please." Lux pleaded not certain where this conversation was headed. "Can we just talk or something?" Lux asked not trying to sound desperate. That wasn't working and Lux knew it. He could see she wanted to talk and that she was desperate. Eric just hoped she couldn't see he was desperate too.

"I- I suppose," Eric stuttered softly. "Right now?"

"For a few minutes?" Lux asked lighting up only a fraction. "It's just Cate's here and –"

"Cate's here?" Eric spat. He knew he was just asking for trouble now. "Is Baze here too? You know what will happen if they see me?" Eric scrambled about ready to dart at any sign of trouble.

"Calm down. I'm eighteen now, not sixteen. That changes things."

"It doesn't change your parents opinion about me." Eric stated.

"Who cares? Right now, it is just you and me. Cate and Baze are wherever and we haven't spoken in two years. I think I deserve a chance to get to talk to you and hear your side of the story." Lux raved.

"Lux, if all you want to do is talk; let's talk. Just relax." Eric said looking into Lux's eyes.

"Why did you leave?" Lux asked searching Eric's face for his answer - No response. "I mean really leave. I know Cate and Baze tricked you into leaving… but why did you just… go?" Lux's voice cracked, and her eyes began to water.

"Lux," Eric said his own eyes starting to water, "I thought it was the only way to REALLY end us. I knew I would always find a way to want to stay with you, but it wouldn't be right. Hiding what we were and all those secrets we shared… I thought we could move on and forget each other before we wound up in something worse… something we couldn't get out of." Eric finished. He was challenged with the truth in his words. He despised hearing them curse his lips and he knew Lux felt the same way. He could see her shift her body weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

"And how did that work out for you?" Lux asked disappointed.

"Honestly, not very well." Eric said extending his arm in front of him. Lux watched his hand examining its every movement. His hand went to her hair and pulled out a rotting piece of lettuce. "How about you?"

"You really haven't changed." Lux said grabbing for the lettuce not feeling embarrassed about the falling incident anymore. Eric had managed to relax Lux again, and if Lux wasn't mistaken Eric had begun to relax also.

"Oh, I have." Eric informed picking more vegetable pieces from Lux's hair.

"Oh, you have, have you?" Lux asked trying not to laugh. She was happy, and Eric found a way to make her that way even though she had just been upset. She wasn't even thinking about Eric an hour ago and now she was standing in front of him barely aware of how she had not seen him in years.

"What are we doing?" Lux asked stifling a small chuckle. "We haven't seen each other in years and you're acting like nothing ever happened."

"I know it's been a long time…" Eric said getting serious "I'm trying to remember that. I felt like once I saw you, today, I needed to leave so I wouldn't feel like anything changed from the time I left. I missed…" Eric paused uncomfortably "It would be easier if we forget this day ever happened."

Lux was deep in thought making sense of her situation. Three weeks ago if someone had asked her what she would do if she saw Eric again, she would have said she could handle it with dignity and self awareness. Right now Eric was standing in front of her and she wasn't sure what to say. She wasn't dreaming anymore so she couldn't just wake up or treat him like she did two years ago. All she wanted was for him to be fantasy Eric, so he wouldn't be afraid of anything. She was ready to answer.

"Yea…" Lux said slowly "I guess… you're right… bye Eric." Lux finished with a small strain in her voice. For only the shortest second she forced her eyes to stare into his, any longer than that she wouldn't have been able to walk away. Maybe seeing Eric was a way to let go of the past and say a real good bye, maybe she would have some real closure.

_Bye Minnesota… _Lux thought picking up her pace. Eric stood there watching the food covered Lux walk away, regretting ever saying what he did.

_Good bye Eeyore… I'll miss you._ Eric thought once Lux turned a corner and had vanished from his sight completely.


End file.
